Garment hanger



Feb. 25, 1958 R. A. GALE 2,824,679

' GARMENT "HANGER Filed Jan. 4, 1957 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS Feb. 25, 1958 R. A. GALE GARMENT HANGER 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Jan. 4, 1957 United States Patent() GARMENT HANGER Reginald A. Gale, Colon, Panama "Application January 4, 1957, Serial No. 632,539

6 Claims. (Cl. 22391) This invention relates to garment hangers, and more particularly, has reference to a hanger collapsible for shipping but adapted to be widened in a transverse direction when in use, despite its formation almost entirely from wire components, for the purpose of affording proper support for the shoulders of a coat or similar garment. The hanger is distinguished from conventional wire hangers in that the invention, when in use, has the characteristic of substantial width as well as length and height, as compared to ordinary wire garment hangers which have a width equal only to the thickness of the single length of wire material generally employed in manufacturing such hangers. In some instances, a cardboard shield is positioned on the coat support arms of a conventional wire hanger, but the width of said shield is decidedly limited, due to the fact that it is supported entirely on the single thickness support arm of the hanger.

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board shield, produced at a cost little or no greater than those used on conventional, single-plane wire hangers,- will provide a far more efiicient support for the shoulder sections'of coats and other garments than is afforded by the mentioned conventional cardboard shield, thus elim- I mating the usualwdeficiencies noted in conventional hangers and shields, wherein excessive strain, caused by the weight of the garment, is imposed upon a particular section of the garment. This feature is also adapted to allowair to circulate easily within the interiors of damp: garments. Y i e A further object ist'o provide a garment hanger of the mum resistance to loss of tension, despite the fact that it:

is capable of manufacture from relatively thin gauge: wire.

Still another object is to provide a garment hanger of the character described which will be adapted for support-' I inganyof various types of garments, including skirts, trousers, coats, dresses, etc., without the use of special fasteningelements such as safety pins, etc.

' Other objects will appear from the following descrip tion, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed v drawing, in which like. reference characters designate like In accordance with the present invention, the hanger comprises side-by-side wire frames, pivotally connected for swinging movement about an axis extending longitudinally of the-trousers support bar, said frames having" -coat support arms which are in longitudinal contact when the hanger is folded for shipping or when not in use, said arms being swingable outwardly from one another on pivotal movement of the frames in the manner described,- to receive a wide shield which is thus supported along its opposite longitudinal edges to provide a wide support sur-' face for the shoulders of a suit coat or similar garment;

Another object of the invention is to provide a hanger as stated having side-by-side trousers support members,

so designed that connecting rings join said members for relative rocking movement about axes extending longitudinally thereof are also used as means for shifting themembers toward and away from each other into and out of clamping engagement with a pair of trousers or other garment.

A further object is to provide a garment hanger as described wherein the suspension 'hook is extended upwardly from one of the pivotally connected frames, with the other frames having a keeper engageable with a hooklike extension of the suspension hook, said keeper being so designed as to limit the outward swinging movement of the coat support members of the frames, the construction further being adapted to insure the disposition of the frames in longitudinally contacting relation when the device is not in use.

Still another object is to provide a hanger as described that can be produced at a very low cost, the cost being little greater than that of a conventional wire hanger and being far outweighed by the benefits to be obtained from the use of the improved hanger constituting the invention.

Another object is to so design the hanger that it will be characterized by a lack of significant bulk or weight, these being factors that contribute markedly to the commercial feasibility of the article, inasmuch as they make for easy packing and shipping.

A further object is to so design the hanger that a cardparts throughoutthe several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my garment hanger,

with the cardboard. shieldshown in section;

Figure 2 is a plan sectional view of the hanger with the.

shieldremoved, as seen from the'line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of thehanger with the shield applied thereto;

Figure 4 is atransverse sectional view through the hangf er-on line 44 of Figure 1; ready for use with the shield applied; 7

Figure 5-is a view similar to Figure in. which the shield has beben removed and the hanger folded for shipment or storage;

Figure 6 is a perspective view, a portion of the sus pension hook beingbroken away, of the hanger opened for use, with the shield removed;

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view, upon an enlarged scale, taken substantially on line 7-7 of Figure 6; t

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the blank from which the cardboard shield is formed;

Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view through the blank on line 99 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a reduced elevation view of the hanger in use supporting a pair of trousers from the cuffs;

Figure 11 is an enlarged, detail section on line 11-11 of Figure 10; i V

Figure 12 is a view like Figure 10 in which the hanger is is in use supporting a skirt;

Figure 13 is a view like Figure 10 with the hanger in I,

use supporting a suit;

Figure 14 is an enlarged, detail section on line 14 14 is of Figure 13; and t Figure l 5is a view like Figure 10 in which the hanger" is in use supporting a pair of trousers for transport,

Referring to the drawings in detail, the hangercon stituting the present invention may appropriately be considered as comprising three. main components. These are a main frame 10, anauxiliary frame. 12, and aca rd board shield 13. a

Frames 10, 12 are each fornied from a single lengt h of Wire material, in the shape of a low, isosceles triangle,

this being the shape of a conventional wire garment hanger. Thus, the frames 10, 12 include elongated trousers support members 14, 16 cooperating to definea trousers bar, said members being disposed in a common horizontal plane.

Adjacent one end,- members 14, 16 are formed with oppositely, outwardly bent obtusely angular portions 18, 20 disposed in confronting relation. Each of theseportions has an inner leg disposed at a relatively steep-angle to the length' of the associated members 14 or 16, and a longer outer leg disposed at a shallow, obtuse angle to the length of the associated member. The longer legs have been designated at 21 (see Figure 3), and converge in the direction of the ends of the trousers bar to define a wedge formation on each end of the trousers bar.

Between the portions 18, 20 and the respective ends of the trousers bar, short lengths of wire are coiled about the members 14, 16 to provide combination connecting and cam rings 22. Rings 22 connect the frame 10,12 for relative swinging movement about an axis extending longitudinally of the trousers bar defined by members 14, 16, that is, the frames can rock transversely toward and away from each other. Further, rings 22 constitute cam rings which when shifted to their Figure 6 positions permit the members 14, 16 to be spaced away from one another to an extent sufiicient to permit the cuffs or other portions of a supported garment to be extended therebetween. 'Then the rings are shifted toward each other, and riding up on the elongated legs21 bias the portions 18, 20 toward each other to cause the midlength portions of the members 14, 16 to be shifted toward each other, hence to clampably engage the supported garment in a manner to be explained in full detail hereinafter.

The frames 10, 12 also include downwardly divergent coat supports arms 24 of frame 10, and similar arms 26 of frame 12.

The ends of the lengths of wire used in forming frame 10, at the convergent ends of arms 24 are intertwisted or coiled upon one another, with one of the extremities of the length of wire being extended to form a suspension hook 32 for the garment hanger. As will be noted, the plane of the part of frame 10 that includes member 14 and arms 24 is angularly related to the length of the coiled portion 28 (see Figure 4), and the length of the portion 28 is angular both to the mentioned plane and to the plane of the suspension book 32. When the hook 32 is in a vertical plane-as it would be when suspended from an overhead bar or the like, not shown (see Figures 4 and the coiled connecting portion 28 extends later-.

ally outwardly from the plane of the book 32, declining slightly in a direction away from the plane of the suspension hook. At its outer end, the coiled portion 28, that connects the suspension hook to the triangular body of frame 10, merges into said body, and in the mentioned position of the suspension hook said body is disposed in a plane inclined from the vertical and extending into convergence with the plane of the suspension hook at the location of the trousers support bar.

The ends of the lengths of wire used in forming the frame 12 are also coiled about one another to connect the same by a pigtail 30.

A U-shaped keeper 34, formed from a relatively short length of wire material, has loops on the outer end of its legs loosely receiving the garment support arms 26 at opposite sides of pigtail 30. Thus, the keeper 34 is swingable about an axis generally parallel to the axis of relative swinging movement of the frames 10, 12, upon the top of the frame 12. Keeper 34 is adapted to engage at its bight part, a hook-like extension 36 on frame. 10. Extension 36 is constituted from the extremity. ofthe length of wire used in forming the frame 10,.opposite from the extremity of said length used in forming the extension book 32.

'Due to the construction "illustrated and described,

frames 10, 12 can be swung outwardly from one another about the axis of the trousers bar as shown in Figure 4, so as, when viewed in cross section, to diverge in a direction upwardly from said axis. The suspension hook 32 falls midway between the outwardly swung triangular portions of the frames, with the keepers 34 en gaging the hook-like extension 36 in the manner previously described herein.

If, however, it is desired to collapse the device for storage or shipment, frame 12 is swung inwardly toward frame 10 so as to dispose the triangular portions of the frames in face-to-face contact as in Figure 5. Again, the keeper remains in engagement with the hook 36, to maintain the garment hanger inthe collapsed or folded posit ion thereof. It will be seen that a number of the garment hangers under these circumstances can be nested in side-by-side relation, so that a substantial quantity of the same can be shipped or stored together, with a minimum amount of bulk, considering the relatively wide hanger formation resulting when the frames 10, 12 are swung away from each other (as in Figure 4) for use of the hanger.

Thepivotal connection of the keeper to the frame 12, and the-pivotal connection of the frames to each other, are'left sufficiently loose to permit the relative swinging movement of the frames between their Figures 4 and 5 positions.

Referring now to the cardboard shield 13, as shown in Figure 8 the shield in blank is relatively wide, tapering slightly toward its opposite ends, which remain of substantial width but which preferably have rounded corners as shown in Figure 8. The widest area of the shield is at the midlength point thereof.

Defined along the opposite longitudinal edges of the blank are downwardly foldable flanges or lips 42, 44 respectively extending the full length of the shield and adapted to be folded downwardly along lines 40 that parallel the respective longitudinal edges of the blank.

.In the lip 42, at opposite sides of the midlength point thereof, transverse, V-shaped slits 46 are formed, extending the full width of the lip, and the material between the slits defines a tab 48 which is foldable upwardly, rather than downwardly (see Figures 1, 4, and 10). Medially between the opposite sides of the blank, and also located medially between the ends thereof, is a U -shaped slit 50 the ends of which are connected by a scoredline 51, along which the material of the blank may be folded so that there results a rectangular center tab 53. Tab 53 can be folded upwardly along the line 51- as shown in' Figure 1 when the device is in use, to permit-extension of the suspension hook through the opening defined by folding the tab 53. Alternatively, the tab could be removed in its entirety by being torn along the line51. Still further, the tab could be folded downwardly and in these'circumstances, the opposite side edges ofthetab would limit the swinging movement of the frames 10,112 inwardly towardeach other from their Figure 4 position, so that they could not accidentally move into a collapsed or folded condition when the hanger is in use; should the :keeper 34 become accidentally disengagedfromtlie hook-like extension36 of frame 10.

As:.shown in Figure 9, preferably a corrugated cardboard material is used to provide the body-38 of the cardboardshield. This however, is not critical to the invention and othertypes may also be employed.

In usei'ofi the hanger, it has a considerable versatility as will be noted'from Figures 10-15 inclusive. For example, inFigurelO the hanger is shown in use supporting apairzof trousers A in inverted position, from the cuffs B thereof. The .cuifs B, as shown in Figure 11 to particular advantage, are clampably engaged between the members 14, 16 responsiveito the previously described shifting of the cam rings 22 toward each other into camming engagement with the outwardly bowed portions 18, 20 of i the respective members 14, 16. To release the trousers,

the rings 22 are merely shifted away from one another to eliminate the clamping engagement of the cuffs by the members 14, 16.

In Figure 12 the device is shown in use supporting a skirt. In these circumstances, the skirt is clahiped'between the members 14, 16 ,in the same manner as the trousers, and it will be apparent that the use of safety pins or other means for insuring that the skirt will remain properly suspended from the hanger is completely eliminated'.

The skirt has been designated at C, and includes the waist band D which is gripped between the members 14, 16'.

In Figure 13, the device is shown in use supporting a mans suit including the coat E and the trousers A. The frames 10, 12 are, of course, adjusted away from each other as in Figure 4 with the shield applied. The lips of the shield are bent downwardly as shown in Figure 13. The trousers could be supported as in Figure 10. Alternatively, they can be folded or hung from the trousers bar medially between the upper and lower ends of the trousers as shown in Figure 13.

The arrangement, as will be readily noted, provides a wide area of support for the shoulders of the coat E, in that the wide shield extends the full transverse distance between the garment support arms 24, 26 of the frames 10, 12. This is of importance, in that it relieves the shoulders of the coat E from excessive strain such as is ordinarily imposed thereupon when the full weight of the coat is suspended from a planiform wire hanger or,

for that matter, from the more expensive wooden hangers. I

In Figure 14, it will be seen that the tab 48, projecting upwardly from frame 10, is adapted to lie against the back of the coat collar, thus preventing the coat collar from wrinkling, folding or becoming misshapened when the coat is supported from the hanger. This provides a desirable stiffener feature on the shield, so that the shield, constitutes not only a wide shoulder support, but also a collar stiffener for a supported garment. The collar has been designated at F, and is disposed in full contact with the tab 48 in the illustrated application of the device.

In Figure 15, the device is shown supporting a pair of trousers G for transport. This arrangement might be desired, for example, when the garment hanger is being used by route men of dry cleaning establishments. The waist of the trousers G is gripped between the members 14, 16, and further, the trousers are folded medially between their ends so that the cuffs H of the trousers are also engaged between the members 14, 16.

It will be readily appreciated that the hanger, though capable of being produced by mass production methods at a very low cost, has significant advantages not possessed by a conventional wire hanger or even by more expensive wooden hangers or hangers having special devices for supporting garments. The hanger is fully collapsible and capable of being connected, when collapsed, with other similar hangers. Despite this fact, the hanger is transversely widened to a substantial depth at the shoulder-supporting portion thereof, so that the garments are adapted to be suspended from the hanger neatly and without possibility of wrinkling. The adjustment of the frames for use in this manner is achieved merely by swinging of the frames away from each other between their Figure 4 56 ment imparts durability to the hanger, and an adaptability for the same not to lose its shape despite repeated use thereof. This is achieved while still maintaining the hanger at a relatively small weight and lack of bulk.

The hanger may be used to hang garments like trousers, and skirts while in a folded, collapsed, or export state. This feature should be favorable to cleaners and garment manufacturers who of necessity must hang a great deal of clothing in a limited space. Hanging clothing in this manner, of course, requires no more space than is required in the use of a conventional wire hanger.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends anyminor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment hanger comprising a pair of frames each including downwardly divergent coat support arms and a trousers support member connected between the divergent ends of the arms, said members having adjacent a direction transversely thereof about an axis extending,

longitudinally of said members, to space the arms of one frame laterally from the corresponding arms of the otherframe, said rings being freely slidable along the members. to ride onto said surfaces and thereby cammingly bias. the members transversely toward each other into gripping relation to a garment disposed therebetween; a suspension hook projecting upwardly from one of the frames and including a hook-like extension at its base; and a keeper pivoted on the other frame and adapted for engagement in said hook-like extension to limit swinging movement of the frames in said direction.

2. A garment hanger comprising a pair of frames each. including downwardly divergent coat support arms and a trousers support member connected between the divergent ends of the arms, said members having adjacent their respective ends laterally, outwardly projecting portions, corresponding projecting portions of the frames being transversely aligned and having surfaces converging toward the adjacent ends of the members; rings loosely receiving said members adjacent the ends thereof and connecting the frames for relative swinging movement in a direction transversely thereof about an axis extending longitudinally of said members, to space the arms of one frame laterally and Figure 5 positions, and no special latching mecha- I nisms or other locking or adjustments are required.

Still further, despite the low cost of the hanger and the above mentioned features thereof, the hanger has the adaptability for supporting garments in various ways, such as shown in Figures lO-lS by way of illustration of a few examples of use of the hanger. The garments may be supported in such a way as to insure to the maximum extent their being kept in a properly suspended, un- Wrinkled condition when awaiting wear.

Still further, the use of the double frame arrangement with the frames connected for relative swinging movefrom the corresponding arms of the other frame, said rings being freely slidable along the members to ride onto said surfaces and thereby cammingly bias the members transversely toward each other into gripping relation to a garment disposed therebetween; a suspension hook projecting upwardly from one of the frames and including a hook-like extension at its base; and a keeper pivoted on the other frame and adapted for engagement in said hook-like extension to limit swinging movement of the frames in said direction, the coat support arms and trousers support member of each frame being disposed in are swung relative to one another in said direction.

3. A garment hanger comprising a pair of frames each.-

including downwardly divergent coat supportarms and a trousers support member connected between the divergent ends of the arms, said members havingadjacent theirrespective ends laterally, outwardlyprojecting portions, corresponding projecting portions of'the frames being transversely aligned and having surfaces converging toward the adjacent ends of the members; rings loosely receiving said members adjacent the ends thereof and connecting the frames for relative. swinging movementin a direction transversely thereof about an axis extending longitudinally of said members, to space the arms of one frame laterally from the corresponding arms of the other frame, said rings being freely slidable along the members to ride onto said surfaces and thereby cammingly bias the members transversely toward each other into gripping relation to a garment disposed therebetween; a suspension hook projecting upwardly from one of the frames and including a hook-like extension at'its'b'ase; a keeper pivoted on the other frame and adapted for engagement in said hook-like extension to limit swinging movement of the frames in said direction, the coatsupport arms and trousers support member of of'each frame being disposed in a common plane, the suspension hook being offset inwardly from the plane of'the aunsand trousers support member of the frame on which",'the

suspension hook is formed, for disposition of the, Sus

pension hook between the laterally spaced arms of .the frames when the frames are swung relative'to one .another in said direction; and a shield having a center opening receiving said suspension hook, saidshieldibein'g of a width sulficient to bridge the distance between 'the laterally spaced coat support arms of the respective frames with the longitudinal edge portions of thetshield supported upon said arms.

'4. A garment hanger comprising apair of frames each including downwardly divergent coat supportarmsland a trousers support member connected between the divergent ends of the arms, said members having adjacent their respective ends laterally, outwardly projecting 'portions, corresponding projecting portions of the frames being transversely aligned and having surfaces converging toward the adjacent ends of the members; rings -loosely receiving said members adjacent. the ends thereof and,

connecting the framesfor relative swinging movement in a direction transversely thereof about an axis extending longitudinally of said members, to space the arms. of one frame laterally from the corresponding arms, of

the other frame, said rings freely'slidable along the members to ride onto said surfaces and thereby cammingly bias the memberstransversely toward-each other into gripping relation to a garment disposed'therebetween; a suspension hook projecting upwardly from one of the frames and including a hook-like extension at 'itsbase; a keeper pivoted on the other frame and adapted for engagement insaid hook-like extensionto limit swinging movement of the frames in said direction, the coat.s upport arms and trousers support member ofeach'frame being disposed in a common plane, the suspension hook being offset inwardly from the plane of the arms, and trousers support member of the frame 'on which the suspension hook is formed, for disposition of the suspension hook between the laterally spaced arms ofjthe frames when the frames are swung relative to one another in said direction; and a shield having a centeropeningjie ceiving said suspension hook, said shield being of a width sufficient to bridge the distance between the laterally spaced coat supportarms of the respective frames with the longitudinal edgeportions of the .shield supported upon said arms, said shield including depending longitudinal lips at'its opposite sides extending in substantial longitudinal contact with the respective coat-support arms of the frames.

5. A garment hanger'comprisinga pairof frames each including downwardly'divergent coat supportarms and a trousers support member'connected between the 'divergentends of the arms, said members having adjacent their respective ends laterally, outwardly projecting portions, corresponding projecting portions of the frames being transversely aligned and having surfaces converging toward the adjacentends of the members; rings loosely receiving said members adjacent the ends thereof and connecting the frames for relative swinging movement in a direction transversely thereof about an axis extending longitudinally of said. members, to space the arms of one frame laterally from the corresponding arms of the other frame, said rings being freely slidable along the members to ride onto said surfaces and thereby cammingly bias the members transversely toward each other into gripping relation to a garment disposed therebetween; a suspension hook projectingupwardly from one of the frames and including a 1hook-like extension at its base; a keeper pivoted on the otherframe andadapted for engagement in said hook likeiextension to limit swinging movement of the frames'in said direction, the coat support arms and trousers supportmemberof each frame being disposed inra common plane, the suspension hook being offset inwardly from the plane of the arms and trousers support member of the frame on which the suspension hook is formed, for disposition of the suspension hook between theilaterally spaced arms of the frames when the frames are-swung relative to one another in said direction; and a shield having a center opening receiving said suspension hookQsaid shield .being of a Widtlr suflicient to bridge theldi stance between the laterally spaced coat support arms of. the respective frames with the longitudinal edge portions of the shield supported upon said arms, said shield including depending longitudinal lips at its opposite sides extending in:substantial longitudinal contact with the respective coat support arms of the frames, the shield further includingta tab extendabledownwardly from one edge of said center opening to be disposed in the space between theiarms of the respective frames,jwhereby to limit saidarms against movement toward each other when the shield is supported upon the arms.

.6. A garment hanger comprising a pair of frames each including downwardly divergent coat support arms and a trousers support membe'rjconnected between the divergent ends of the arms, said members having adjacent their respective ends laterally, outwardly projecting portions, corresponding projecting portionsof the frames being transversely aligned and having-surfaces converging toward the adjacent ends of the members; rings loosely receiving said members adjacent the ends thereof and connecting the frames for relative swinging movement in a direction transversely thereof about an axis extending longitudinally of said members, tospace the arms of one frame laterally from the corresponding arms of the other frame, said rings being freely slidable along the members to ride onto said surfaces and thereby cammingly bias the members transversely toward each other into gripping relation to a "garmentdisposed therebetween; a suspension hook projecting upwardly from 'oneof the frames and including a hook-like extension at its base; a keeper pivoted on the other frame and adapted for engagement in said hooklik e extension to limit swinging movement of the frames in said. direction, the coat support arms and trousers support member ofeach frame being disposed in a common plane, the suspension hook'being offset inwardly from the plane of the arms and trousers support member of the frame on which the suspension hook is formed, for disposition of the suspension hook between the laterally spaced arms of the frames when the frames are swung relative to one another in saiddirection; and a shield having a center opening receiving said suspension hook,

, said shield beingof a width sufficient to bridge the distancebetween the laterally spaced coat support arms of the respective frames with the longitudinal edge portions of the shield supported uponsaid arms, said shield including depending longitudinal lips at its opposite sides extending in.substantial-longitudinal contact with the respective coat support arms of the frames, the shield References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Riedl Dec. 17, 1912 De Falco Dec. 6, 1932 Von Knopke Jan. 16, 1940 Williams Oct. 21, 1952 Sasaki Dec. 23, 1952 

